Biomimetic mushroom-shaped microfibers for dry adhesives by electrically induced polymer deformation

The studies on bioinspired dry adhesion have demonstrated the biomimetic importance of a surface arrayed with mushroom-shaped microfibers among other artificially textured surfaces. The generation of a mushroom-shaped microfiber array with a high aspect ratio and a large tip diameter remains to be investigated. In this paper we report a three-step process for producing mushroom-shaped microfibers with a well-controlled aspect ratio and tip diameter. First, a polymer film coated on an electrically conductive substrate is prestructured into a low-aspect-ratio micropillar array by hot embossing. In the second step, an electrical voltage is applied to an electrode pair composed of the substrate and another conductive planar plate, sandwiching an air clearance. The Maxwell force induced on the air-polymer interface by the electric field electrohydrodynamically pulls the preformed micropillars upward to contact the upper electrode. Finally, the micropillars spread transversely on this electrode due to the electrowetting effect, forming the mushroom tip. In this paper we have demonstrated a polymer surface arrayed with mushroom-shaped microfibers with a large tip diameter (3 times the shaft diameter) and a large aspect ratio (above 10) and provided the testing results for dry adhesion.